Rabat – A report by Greenpeace Unearthed has revealed that a facility at the Hassi R’Mel gas field in Algeria, operated by Sonatrach, has been leaking methane since 1984.
The compression station, which helps pump gas from the field to Europe, has been releasing methane regularly since at least 1984, according to new satellite imagery.
Methane is widely recognized as a greenhouse gas and one of the catalysts of climate change. “Stopping leaks from the oil and gas sector is seen as a vital way to stop the worst effects of climate breakdown,” Greenpeace noted.
In addition to preventing worse climate change effects, capturing and selling leaked methane can also help the global energy market, as it is a key component of natural gas.
Algeria has been a methane hotspot in recent years, but also refused to join various global initiatives, including a pledge at the UN climate conference to reduce methane emissions, of which 105 other countries approved.
Sonatrach’s CEO Toufik Hakkar claimed the company has worked really hard on lowering emissions, and that the official numbers are “lower than what has been announced elsewhere.”
According to Greenpeace, however, states and energy companies regularly underreport pollution and leak numbers. Emission figures are usually 70% higher than those reported by governments, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Similar leaks from compressor stations were spotted in the Hassi Messaoud oilfield in 2021 by researchers from the Netherlands.
Out of 384 days where good quality satellite images were available between 2017 and March 2022, there were 188 days where methane spikes were detected. Before that, 35 days were detected with methane spikes but the number could be more as Greenpeace says satellite images were of poor quality back then.
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Greenpeace says the report does not paint a full picture of the methane leaks at the site, but installing equipment like methane detecting cameras can be costly and would also run up against Algeria’s tight control of its energy sites.
While the compression station in question is the most vulnerable one on the site, the report says that it is not the only one, adding that researchers from the Land and Atmosphere Remote Sensing (LARS) detected sporadic methane leaks from the main hub in the field.
The site released close to a million tonnes of methane in 2021, marking a 67% increase from 2020. The amount is the equivalent of yearly emissions from 17 million American cars.
What’s at stake for Europe
The revelation comes at a time when Europe is looking at Algerian gas as a substitute for Russia’s.
Since the Russia-Ukraine war forced the continent to impose sanctions on Moscow, European countries have been looking to lessen their dependence on Russia.
But Eruope also has commitments to fulfill under its various climate protection agreements, and with methane being 84 times as potent as CO2 as a greenhouse gas, it does not look like it will be a valid substitute.
Greenpeace’s report says the EU is in a unique position now to limit the leaks through legislation, if it is going to go forward with importing more Algerian gas.
“At the moment, there is little incentive for companies or governments of gas-exporting countries to clean up their domestic industry,” says Charlotte Hanson, a lawyer monitoring the EU negotiations.
“Through its upcoming methane legislation, the EU has a vital opportunity to change this, by requiring that methane which is currently leaked is instead captured and used,” he adds.
Others, however, are afraid that Europe’s desperation means Algeria is less likely to act to prevent such leaks.
“The danger is that Algeria holds more cards now,” argues Antoine Vagneur-Jones, a researcher with Bloomberg. “Pushing them to action will be much more difficult than before.”
